Why am I not surprised?
The starting point is to look at the composition of the 'inquiry'. The head honcho is a Sir (it seems you have to be at least a knight to get in on the act) John Chilcot. It is considered unlikely that our man will kick over the traces. A retired civil servant, he doesn't do that...
Next we have Sir Lawrence Freedman. Apparently he promoted the theory of 'liberal interventionism' to Blair who took the theory to heart and - erm - invaded Iraq. Reassuring to have one of the numpties who dreamed up the template for the Iraq cockup in the first place sitting in judgement on it.
And then Sir Martin Gilbert who is even older than Sir John Thingy and once compared Bush (as in the idiot son) and Blair to Roosevelt and Churchill. Don't hold your breath waiting for stinging criticism from this one.
Finally we have Baroness Usha Prasha and Sir Roderic Lyne. No, I haven't a clue either.
Presumably if the hearing is in private, there will be no reports of its proceedings - no TV, radio,newspaper or other simultaneous or next day reportage. By extension anyone leaking its proceedings will presumably be in peril off some sort of sanction. I assume there will be no right of representation - for example for the parents or spouses of British soldiers killed in Iraq. Who will summon the witnesses? Will they (or at least the British ones - it strikes me as unlikely that Cheney or Rumsfeld or the idiot son would show up and there would be nothing to make them) be under any compunction to attend?
And who will ask the awkward questions? And is there any point in asking them? Will we ever know that they were asked?
PUKE! PUKE! PUKE!
What is to be done? The 'inquiry' seems to me to be beyond redemption in its present form. Perhaps the only thing to do is to treat this latter day Star Chamber with the contempt it deserves and provide it with nothing that gives it any form of legitimacy - such as appearing before it.
Otherwise I can only think of an alternative, unofficial enquiry - open and in public with representation if sought. What's to lose?
Hat Tip to Beau Bo D'Or (link to left) - not for the first time - for artwork.
Meanwhile in Nottingham, the local police are having fun with tasers (see clip). The Nottinghamshire Police announce that they have voluntarily passed the video to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (a body usually as much use as - erm - the Iraq 'Inquiry' may be expected to be). Assistant chief constable Peter Davies helpfully explains 'We understand that some members of the public may be concerned about this...'
Oh very perceptive...
6 comments:
Tut, tut: enough of this cynicism White Rabbit. Next you'll be saying that this is the same Sir John Chilcot who sat on the Butler Inquiry into the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the same Sir Lawrence Freedman who as a student was a supporter of Zionism. We can, of course rely on our right honourable Prime Minister to ensure that the inquiry's composition is independent and impartial.
However, it is questionable whether this inquiry is necessary. The Government has decided; that the witnesses can all be relied upon to tell the truth so that there is no need for evidence to be on oath; that there is no need to compel the witnesses to attend; and that there is no need for blame to be apportioned. If they simply printed the statements of Blair, Straw, Hoon et al as the truth, there would be even more money for useful things like identity cards, fictitious mortgages, Ministers' mortgage switching, £8,000 television, etc.
P.S. In your unfair attack on the membership of the inquiry, you omitted to point out: that Sir Martin Gilbert's qualifications for unbiased membership of the committee include his support for Israel; and that Baroness Usha Prasha was recommended for a peerage by no less worthy a person than Tony Blair in 1999, who also recommended that Sir Roderic Lyne be made a Knight Commander of the British Empire in 1999. How can you doubt such people?
Tasers bring out the most in the cops with tendencies towards abuse of power. How could they resist?
Until recently I would have classed myself as a supporter of our 'wonderful' boys in blue. However, after witnessing first hand the behaviour of the Alnwick police in the North-East of England recently, my opinion has changed.
Manipulative liars always get whats coming to them.
I hope that day is not too far away.
hell, sugar, cops over here have been using tasers on 72 yr old women for swearing at them! seriously, it happened and was caught on the on-board dash camera in the cop's car! now, as a society i know we need a police force, but i do wonder about the screening process that's used! xoxo
NOTTINGHAM the city of hand guns. I hope one of they fuckin' bastards try that on some fucker with a real shooter...
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